It's 2pm on a sunny Monday afternoon and I’m enjoying a cup of tea with one of my heroes - my Mum Sandra Gosling, aka “the fermentalist” as I affectionally call her. Sandra is a co-founder of COYO, chief product developer and just happens to be slightly obsessed with fermenting. If you stand still long enough chances are she’ll try to put you in jar and ferment you too! I sit down with her to discuss the newest edition to the COYO product range: the Coconut Mezze Dip with fermented vegetables of course!
So Ma, genius idea to create a Coconut Mezze Dip! but then you go and put fermented veggies all through it and…. holy moly, it’s seriously the best thing i’ve eaten since the dinner you made last night. What inspired such a unique idea?
Well a few stars aligned on this one. As you know I’ve always been a bit of a nutter when it comes to heathy bugs in the tummy and have been fermenting my own veg’s at home for a long time. Then last year I attended a workshop held by Donna Gates who wrote a wonderful book called the “Body Ecology Diet“. I was so inspired, so with my head spinning with ideas of how I might squeeze even more good bugs into our yoghurt, I set to work and this is the result.
It’s a delicious result that’s for sure! I know how much work you put into perfecting this Coconut Mezze Dip, what makes it so special or different from all your regular dips?
Firstly it’s made with our COYO coconut yoghurt base, so your already consuming the advantages of a yoghurt based dip, lots of probiotics. Secondly we have added our own in house raw fermented vegetables which gives it the savoury deliciousness of a dip loaded with good bacteria. In creating our Coconut Mezze Dip we had to decide on which vegetables to use to give us maximum functionality as well as flavours we thought our customers would like.
It has taken months of trial and error to finally be happy with the mix we have. Then there was the issue of controlling our many millions of beneficial yeasts and bacteria which had a tendency to want to jump out of their tubs well before they were meant to, not a good look haha, but we have finally got them to behave! Obviously when anything is the first of its kind there is a massive learning curve.
What were your final choices on flavours?
Well you can’t go passed Korean Kim Chi, Slightly spicy with it’s distinct tang. Then there is the Super green take on German Saur Kraut, we call it Spicy Kraut! Loaded with green herbs and inspired by principals of an Ayurvedic recipe. Then there is our Beetroot and Ginger, i love this flavour as a spread on turkish bread with smashed peas, avocado and feta!
Ma, everyone knows your a whiz in the kitchen. After raising a family of 7 kids there’s no doubt you know how to put on a spread (in bulk). If you had an all time favourite way to enjoy the new COYO Coconut Mezze Dip what would that be?
When I first started using this product at home I served it with crackers, stirred it through coleslaw and salads (especially potato dishes) and used it as a tasty side dish to spoon over roasted veggies. I found the more I used, it the more uses I found. For example, I was making guacamole the other day and instead of using sour cream I used Spicy Kraut which took that dish to a whole new level. It’s also very popular as an accompaniment to seafood, chicken and meat dishes. In other words just keep it handy and add to any dish you want to make a it little more interesting.
Have you tried it on the grandkids… Jagwa (2.5) & Vāga (11 months) ?
Yes, the kids love it especially the Beetroot and Ginger unless they grew up on chilli like you did in which case they will love the spicier ones as well. It can take kids a little time to develop a taste for fermented veggies, so this a great way to introduce them to this food that is so good for their little tummies, growing bodies and immune systems.
You know i like a Mezze Plater, and I’ll admit it, I’m that guy that devours way more than his share at the neighbours get together, but why do i feel so good after i chow half tub of COYO Coconut Mezze Dip?
Yes, I’ve noticed you’re rather partial to the dip platter and now you can eat your heart out! The reason you feel so light instead of heavy is because you’re giving your digestive system a bit of a helping hand by introducing more enzymes and nutrients so it doesn’t have to work so hard leaving you with more energy for other things!
So, what are you cooking up next ma?
Ha ha I’m not telling but you can bet your dollar it will have a functional reason for being in your fridge, nothing can beat a well formulated classic. Quite apart from being a taste sensation I just want to create healthy dairy free coconut products that make your heart sing!
I think your a well formulated classic mum. Thanks for the chat!